What Foods Should Be Stockpiled at Home for a Doomsday Scenario?

Doomsday Prepping 101 tells us the top three concerns for survival are water, food and shelter. These are the basics for survival. That won’t change in an emergency situation. Prepping your pantry is something you can work on continuously and with little extra effort. But, what foods should be stockpiled at home for a doomsday scenario?

What Should Be on My Doomsday Food List?

Twinkies and candy bars are not going to cut it. If you are in an emergency situation, every morsel should count. You want to choose high-quality, high-protein items. There is a good chance your physical activity level may increase in a dire situation; therefore high-calorie content should also be in your requirements. The next conditions to pass the worthy eats test: minimal preparation and storage requirements. You don’t want food items that require hours of cooking time or continuous refrigeration. That may be fuel and energy that would be better used to warm your family.

The good news is there are numerous foods readily available to meet these needs.

Peanut butter

Nuts and trail mix

Cereal (most brands these days are fortified with vitamins, minerals and protein)

Dried fruit

Canned meats, poultry and fish

Powdered milk

Canned fruits and vegetables

Rice

Dried beans

Pasta

Sugar

Salt (can not only be used for seasoning but also preservation)

Honey (also has antiseptic properties)

Coffee (even if you don’t drink it, the rest of the world does. Coffee will likely make an excellent bartering item)

Flour

Multivitamins

What about Doomsday Food Storage?

Your doomsday preparation kit needs to be stored properly. The last thing you want during an emergency situation is to find your food supply has spoiled or been infiltrated by insects and rodents. If you are creating your own food stores as opposed to purchasing pre-made kits from somewhere such as MyFoodStorage.com you need to ensure your food is stored in a dry, cool, dark place. Store cardboard boxed or bagged foods in 5-gallon buckets with lids (we have picked up some great buckets from Menard’s that have screw-on lids). Canned foods will be okay on their own. These items should then be kept in cool place, preferably a basement or root cellar.

Remember to check the expiration dates on your emergency food supply every six months to one year. Expired items should be discarded. Items approaching the end of their life should be rotated out and consumed immediately. Everything you take out needs to be replaced.

You should strive to stockpile food to last each member of your household at least 15 days. If you have the storage space available, you can keep that going until you feel comfortable.